Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: Matthew 10: 26-33

Jesus said to the Twelve:
“Fear no one.
Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;
what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;
rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy
both soul and body in Gehenna.
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Everyone who acknowledges me before others
I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
But whoever denies me before others,
I will deny before my heavenly Father.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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What is one of the most common sayings in the bible?

“Do not be afraid.”

It appears more than 100 times – three of which occur in today’s Gospel.

Jesus is sending his disciples out into the world to continue his ministry, and he knows the first hurdle they must overcome is fear.

The disciples are not afraid of following Jesus; they marvel at his power and bask in his fame. What they are afraid of is being his witnesses – of going out and preaching the Gospel to all nations.

The same is often true of us. 

We love Jesus. We enjoy listening to him and learning from him. But when our faith moves from a private to a public sphere, we can become afraid – afraid of speaking out; afraid of stepping into the unknown; afraid of placing our fate in God’s hands.

“Do not be afraid,” Jesus says, “every hair on your head is counted; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

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Consider a few other moments in the New Testament when this phrase – “do not be afraid” – occurs.

These are some of the first words spoken by the Angel Gabriel to Mary when he reveals God’s plan for her. Reading her heart, Gabriel says to Mary, “Do not be afraid. You have found favor with God.” 

After accepting God’s plan, Mary is at peace as she becomes the Mother of God.

Or the first time the disciples are without Jesus. A storm breaks out on the Sea of Galilee – a storm so strong that these professional fishermen fear they are drowning! Suddenly, they see Jesus walking on the water towards them, mistaking him for a ghost.

Approaching them on the waves, Jesus says to them, “Do not be afraid.” Then he stills the sea and calms their fears.

And at the Last Supper, the night before Jesus’ death, he tells his disciples, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” To be “troubled” meant to be overwhelmed by the fear of death. The Lord will no longer be with them physically. Change is coming. 

But so is the Holy Spirit. 

Do not be afraid.

And, finally, when the tomb was empty that first Easter morning, the angels say to a tearful Mary Magdalene, “Do not be afraid. You are looking for Jesus, but he has been raised from the dead.” 

After seeing him, Mary runs off to share the Good News of the resurrection with the other disciples who are still afraid, hiding in Jerusalem.

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In the bible, God is constantly comforting people as they face their fears. So, what am I afraid of?

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It could be something physical like spiders or snakes.

But then there’s a deeper, more subtle type of fear that can influence – even control – our decisions. It could be the fear of rejection; failure; loneliness; loss; or losing control.

When not brought to God in prayer, these fears can stifle us. Think about the disciples in today’s Gospel. Jesus knows they’re afraid. They’re terrified of stepping out into the unknown. How can they journey without him physically by their side?

“Do not be afraid,” he says, “every hair on your head is counted; you are worth more than many sparrows.” 

Meaning, God will be watching over them at every little step.

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Just as the phrase, “do not be afraid,” appears more than 100 times in the bible, so does the word, “trust.”

As it’s written in the Book of Proverbs, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. Trust in the Lord and he will act.”

God can – and will – calm our hearts, just as he calmed the waters in Galilee.

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It’s a lesson Mary, the disciples, and every Christian needs to learn. At times we’re all afraid. But God is with us, inviting us to place ourselves in his hands; every hair on our head is counted. We are worth more than many sparrows.

As Jesus says at the end of the Gospels, “Do not be afraid. I have overcome the world.”

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Image credits: (1) GodSongs.net (2) Bishop Steven’s Blog – Anglican.org (3) Jesus.net

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Gospel: Matthew 6: 19-23

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal.
But store up treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.

“The lamp of the body is the eye.
If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light;
but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness.
And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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(Today is the second day of our week-long summer faith formation program).

Boys and girls, imagine getting into your parent’s car on a cold winter morning. It’s so cold that you can see your breath!

You ask mom or dad to start driving, but they tell you, “We must wait. The windows are covered in frost.”

Why is it a good idea to wait for that frost on the windows to melt?

Otherwise, you cannot see!

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In today’s Gospel, Jesus talks about the importance of sight – of seeing with clear eyes. Just as you must have clear windows in order to drive, so Christians must have clear eyes in order to see.

The alternative is to have “frosty” eyes. By “frost,” I mean things that make it difficult for us to see other people the way God wants us to see.

For example, if I am jealous of someone else, then it makes it harder for me to see what’s good in them. That jealousy is like “frost” in my eyes.

If I am angry at my brother or sister, then it makes it harder for me to be kind. That anger is like “frost” in my eyes.

What are other things that cause “frosty” eyes? 

Judgment, gossip, being rude, mean, and so on.

As Jesus says in today’s Gospel, “If your eye is clear, then your body will be filled with light; but if your eye is bad, then your whole body will be in darkness.”

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Today we ask Jesus to melt away any “frost” in our eyes so that we can clearly see each other the way that God wants us to see: with kindness, respect, and love.

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Image credits: (1) Fratelli Tutti, Thinking Faith (2) Car Glass Canada (3) Summit Church, YouTube

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Gospel: Matthew 6: 7-15

Jesus said to his disciples:
“In praying, do not babble like the pagans,
who think that they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them.
Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

“This is how you are to pray:

‘Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.’

“If you forgive others their transgressions,
your heavenly Father will forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others,
neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Today we begin our faith formation summer program. I’d like to begin by welcoming all of our young people who gather with us today. I ask everyone to pray for them, that the Holy Spirit would speak to their hearts and draw them closer to God.

Students, you will learn many things over the next week. One of the “essentials” is the importance of prayer, which is simply your conversation with God.

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I think of prayer like a stoplight. 

We begin by telling God what we want: the courage to do what is right; the ability to forgive; the discipline to become a stronger student or athlete; healing from an illness.

Then we await God’s response. Like a stoplight, the answer will be either: red, yellow, or green.

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Sometimes we pray for something and God answers us immediately. A small example might be misplacing your phone. You ask God to help you find it and, suddenly, POOF! It’s right in front of you.

A green light.

Other times, we pray for something and the answer is, “No.” A red light. But remember, even Jesus was told, “No.” During his final night on earth, he asked his Father to stop him from suffering – “let this cup pass from me” – but the answer was, “No.”

Hours later, Jesus suffered and died for us. But three days later he was raised from the dead!

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Most prayers receive a yellow light. We ask God for something and the answer isn’t, “yes” or “no,” but, “wait.”

For example, you may ask, “God, what is your plan for my life?” Or, “God, will you heal this person whom I love?” While the answer may be, “yes,” sometimes God asks us to wait – to keep praying – because that helps to strengthen our faith.

What is a yellow light in your heart? What is a prayer you are waiting for God to answer? 

While you wait, Jesus teaches us to pray the Our Father, which we heard in today’s Gospel. Why don’t we pray that now for everyone who has a yellow light, who’s waiting for God to answer.

Our Father…

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Image credits: (1) My Windowsill (2) iStock (3) The Cullman Tribune